The Science of Domesticity
by Consynthia
Summary: Set three months after their initial meeting, Sally and Sherlock got engaged and are now expecting a baby. Thank you Nate for writing Sherlock for me!


A light rain was falling on Baker Street. It was late in the evening, and a television could be heard playing inside 221B. Inside the flat, a warm glow came from the fireplace in the lounge. Sherlock Holmes sat on the sofa, sitting with his back against the couch as his fiancée leaned against him. He had an arm around her shoulder and there was a little bowl of popcorn wedged between them. He had a hand on Sally's head, gently caressing her hair as they watched the movie that was playing on the screen.

Sherlock Holmes and Sally Sparrow would be getting married in just a few days. Most of the wedding preparations were already done. They had already had the rehearsal dinner, and Sherlock was having his bachelor party on the very night before the wedding as was tradition. It would just be a few of his mates having fun at a pub in town. One of them, John, had actually bought the pub out for that one night. Sherlock planned to pay him back for that soon, despite John's protests for him not to.

Furthermore, there was a baby on the way. Sally was three months into her pregnancy. Several weeks ago, after a comment on Sally's behaviour, the two of them had gone to the hospital to get an exam done. When they learned Sally was pregnant, Sherlock was overjoyed at the thought of being a father. Since then, he had not left his fiancée's side except for preparations and bathroom breaks. He wanted to make sure she stayed healthy while the baby was growing inside of her.

Sherlock looked at his wife and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He took some of the popcorn from their bowl and held it up to her mouth. "Open up," he said so he could feed her the popcorn.

She smiled at him and opened her mouth for him. When he popped the popcorn into her mouth she chewed on it and swallowed. One of her hands rested over her stomach. She softly pressed a kiss to his stubbly cheek, he needed to have a shave in the morning. She smiled softly before nuzzling the side of his neck before turning back to the film. She kissed his cheek again before moving a hand off of her stomach to fiddle with her engagement ring. The ring was a simple band, with vine-like swirls. In the centre of the swirls were set with bright blue sapphires. Set in the centre of the ring was a crystal clear diamond with no flaws. It was beautiful ring. Sherlock had designed it himself, with the help of a certified jeweller.

The way Sherlock had proposed to her was absolutely perfect. He had taken her to the place that they had first met. It was the beginning of Spring, the leaves on the trees were just starting to unfurl. The green of the dainty fronds was vivid against the orange sky. A cool breeze whistled through the treetops, a faint whisper spread through the riverside. The laughter of other couples and families around them echoed towards the couple. Sally hadn't even expected it to happen. Sherlock had gotten down onto one knee, and took both of her small hands in his larger hands. His skin was slightly rough, and calloused against her much smoother hands. Then he had said the eight words she had never expected to hear from him: "Sally Elizabeth Grace Sparrow, will you marry me?" She had been so overjoyed at his question that she didn't even answer him at first. Only when she realised this did she choke out a 'Yes'.

Ever since his proposal, Sally and Sherlock had been practically inseparable, but it wasn't a good thing. They were good for each other, and now with a child on the way their lives were almost complete. With the wedding in a few days time, Sally was hoping to get as much rest as she possibly could. While Sherlock was having his Stag do, Sally would be getting pampered, having her nails done and a facial. She was hoping to look perfect for Sherlock on their big day.

Sherlock smiled and took some popcorn for himself, chewing it and swallowing it while trying not to get any residue on Sally's hair. Her belly was barely bulging, but the fact that there was life he had contributed to making growing inside excited him. Whether it was a boy or a girl didn't matter. The baby would be theirs, and they would truly be a family. A long time ago, Sherlock wouldn't have been having thoughts like this. He would have been too focused on doing his job and thinking less of things like love and friendship. Sally had changed that however, and it was one of the many things Sherlock loved about her. She had managed to capture his heart when everyone else was pretty sure he didn't even have one. He knew she was meant for him, and that's why he knew it was the right decision to propose to her. He didn't have a single regret, and he knew Sally didn't either.

As the film was nearing its end, Sherlock glanced briefly at the clock. It read 9:23 pm. It was definitely way past evening at this point. He wanted to make sure Sally was well rested, again putting her health first. "Shall we go to bed when this is over?" he suggested, speaking softly since his mouth was right next to her ear.

Sally nodded, taking a handful of the sweet popcorn that the two of them were sharing. "I think that would be nice," she smiled at him. She turned her head to look at him before pressing a sweet and chaste kiss to his lips. She pulled away before turning back to the film. She pulled the fraying sleeves of her jumper over her hands and smiled to herself as the Disney film they were watching neared the end. Flynn and Rapunzel had been separated, Rapunzel went back to the tower with Gothel, and Flynn was breaking out of the prison he had been sent to. Sally softly nuzzled his neck before closing her eyes and just listened to the film. She was very tired, and knowing that Sherlock wanted sally to stay as healthy as possible before the wedding put a goofy smile onto her face. She sighed softly before opening her eyes again, their life was perfect. Apart from the rain that was pouring down outside, it had changed from a light drizzle to a downpour, the water bounced off of the pavement and merged into large puddles. But, Sally was contented, she had Sherlock by her side and a fire crackling to their left. It was the idyllic life. Sally was happy with him, three months before she would have never expected that she would be getting married and having a child with a man she walked into before Christmas.

Sherlock felt Sally's body relaxing more and glanced at her to see that her eyes were closed. He smiled, rubbing his thumb over her shoulder. When the movie got to the wedding part, Sherlock thought about their own wedding. His vows were already done. He had stayed up all night perfecting them, and he looked forward to sharing them with Sally on their wedding day. He smiled fondly, remembering how Sally had scolded him the morning after since it had been a work night too. In her flustered ranting, Sherlock had cut her off with a kiss and apologized, explaining that he had been working on something very special for both of them.

The credits rolled and Sherlock used his free arm to reach over and get the remote. He turned off the television, thinking Sally was already asleep. He pressed a kiss onto the top of her head since her face was buried in his neck.

"Sally?" he whispered, "Are you asleep...?"Sally grumbled and began to nuzzle his neck slightly as she woke up to the sound of his voice. It took her a few moments to realise what he had said and shook her head. She wasn't awake, she was half asleep. Sally softly nuzzled his neck again before dropping back into a deep sleep.

She dreamt of their wedding. The day was bright; everything was as it should have been. The sky was a bright blue, and the flowers in the room were bright and fragrant. It was how Sally hoped that her wedding would be. Sherlock was stood at the altar wearing his tuxedo with a silver waistcoat and tie. Stood next to Sherlock was John, his best man, who was wearing a similar tuxedo to Sherlock.

Sherlock felt her head move and understood she was shaking her head. Still, she seemed very comfortable in her spot, and Sherlock didn't want to disturb her rest. He smiled and rested his head on top of hers, holding her in his arms as his body relaxed as well. He eventually drifted off to sleep himself, and the two of them ended up sleeping on the couch for the rest of the night.

Morning came, with the sunlight seeping in through the blinds of the flat. Sherlock felt his mind break back into consciousness as he awoke. Sleepily, he tried to remember his surroundings. The night before they had watched a movie and... Sherlock chuckled, realizing they had both fallen asleep on the couch together. He looked at Sally who was still asleep by the looks of it. He started caressing her shoulder with a thumb again as he glanced over at the clock. It was about mid-morning. Sherlock felt like getting a cup of tea, but his body was occupied at the moment with Sally laying on almost half of it.

Sally smiled in her sleep at the complete adorableness of her dream. When she felt Sherlock stir beneath her she began to wake. She grumbled slightly about wanting a coffee before she opened one of her eyes a crack.

"Can I have a coffee, baby?" She asked him.

She looked tired as she shuffled off of Sherlock's body and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She rubbed her hands over her face, and then broke into a yawn. She stretched herself out when she did before relaxing and giving him a pout.

Sherlock moved his arm so she could move off of him.

He nodded at her request for coffee and said, "Sure thing love. I'll be back in a tick."

He stood up and leaned down to Sally to kiss her on the nose before going to the kitchen. He got a hot cuppa for himself and a hot coffee for Sally, just the way she liked it. He returned to the lounge and reclaimed his seat next to his fiancée.

He handed the coffee to her and asked, "Did you sleep well?"

Sally watched Sherlock with an adoring smile as he went to go make her a coffee. He looked good, despite the two of them only just waking up. When he returned with her coffee she murmured a thank you before taking a sip of it. It was delicious, Sherlock always made her the best coffee. She looked at him with a smile before sipping the coffee again.

"Yeah, I did sleep well," she said happily. "Did you?" She asked him.

He was perfect for her, even when he did look slightly hellish on a morning. It was almost as if they were made for each other. "Soul mates", they call it. They were soul mates, if they existed.

Sherlock took a sip of his tea and held it in two hands.

"I did," he said with a smile. "I have a surprise for us today, but you have to promise not to ask until its ready." He gave her a big grin as he said, "You'll love it. Trust me."

She crossed her heart. "I promise I won't ask you until its ready," she said with a sincere smile.

She took another sip of her coffee and sighed. It was such good coffee. And decaf! So it didn't harm the baby.

"Brilliant," he said. Sherlock took another sip of his tea. It was Earl Grey, his favorite kind. That was one of the few things that were different between him and Sally. He liked tea, but she preferred coffee. He didn't mind, however. They had enough money to afford both kinds, after all.

Sherlock licked a bit of tea off his upper lip and felt the stubble that was forming around his mouth. With his other hand, he felt the stubble growing on his face, frowning a little. He did need to shave. He made a mental note to do so after he showered. He wanted to look good for his surprise for Sally. Sherlock took one last drink of his tea and stood up.

"I'm going to shower," he said to Sally. "And shave too, while I'm at it," he added with a chuckle.

He went upstairs to shower and shave before finding a semi-formal outfit for the day.

Sally gave Sherlock a winning smile before finishing her coffee and going into their bedroom to find some comfy clothes to wear for their surprise. She stood in front of the wardrobe with a quizzical look on her face before she looked through her extensive blouse collection. Eventually she picked out a lace and chiffon blouse and a pair of jeans with a pair of flat shoes. Thankfully sally was still at the stage where she was still able to wear her usual clothes but soon she would to start wearing maternity clothes.

Sally stripped out of the clothes she was wearing and got into the outfit she had picked out. Unfortunately for her she didn't have a clean bra, so she ended up running through the flat trying to find one while she covered her breasts with her hands.

Sherlock put on black trousers and a blue button-up shirt before he left his room to go down to the kitchen. He nearly ran into Sally who was currently topless and looking panicked.

He smiled in mild amusement and said, "Check the laundry room. I'll be in the kitchen."

He went onto the kitchen to get out all the food he had bought yesterday. He prepared their meals and put them all in two large thermal lunchboxes. Once he had the food ready, he went back to their room to see if Sally had found what she needed.

"Did you find it?" Sherlock asked her, referring to the bra.

Sally looked at Sherlock and nodded before running into the utility room to get a bra. Which just happened to be a pale blue bra covered in pale pink ribbon and some white lace. She quickly pulled it on before walking back into the bedroom in a far more dignified fashion than she had before hand. She grasped the soft material of the blouse she was going to wear and slipped it over her freckled skin. She quickly buttoned it up, misaligning them but not noticing that she had so she just went around to doing her hair and makeup for the date.

Sherlock saw that Sally was still getting ready and smiled, going to the bathroom to give her time. Afterwards, he went to their bedroom, knocking on the door as a warning he was coming in.

"Sally? I've just come to check on you," he said walking inside. He smiled when he saw her and said, "You look beautiful love. Although your blouse is misaligned."

Sally looked down at her shirt and laughed. "Oh! Thanks for telling me!"

She laughed as she undid the buttons before doing them back up again and smiling at Sherlock. "How do I look now?" She asked him.

She gave him a quick spin, grinning slightly before placing her hand over her stomach with a smile. Then the realisation hit her.

"Sherlock," she said with a shocked look on her face. "We're going to have a_ A baby," she whispered before walking to hug him tightly.

They were going to have a family, a real family of their own creation.

He looked on in amusement, though his smile faltered slightly when she spun around. He knew she wouldn't fall, but he couldn't avoid an instinctual worry that she might hurt herself and the baby. Sherlock hugged her back, holding her closely as he kissed the top of her head.

"I know, Sally, I know. Now, I suspect you are feeling a bit hungry?" he looked at her questioningly. "I'm taking you somewhere special. Come on." With that, he took her hand and led her downstairs and out of the flat. He led her to their car and opened the passenger door for her. Sherlock waited for her to get in before closing the door and going around to his own side.

Once he started the car and put on his belt, he said to Sally, "I thought about blindfolding you first but I thought that would seem dodgy. So please close your eyes and keep them closed until we get there, okay?"

Sally rolled her eyes at him before closing her eyes and putting her palms over them so that she definitely couldn't see a thing. She was intrigued as to where he was taking her and she desperately wanted to know where he was taking her but, she didn't want to ruin the surprise he had planned for her. She had a faint smile playing on her lips and she shuffled in her seat. She was getting anxious with excitement, she felt butterflies in her stomach as they neared their destination. God, how she wanted to know where he was taking her!

Sherlock smiled and drove her to one of the smaller parks in London. He parked at an appropriate spot and put the car in park.

"Don't open them yet, love, I have to get it ready," said Sherlock before getting out of the car. "It'll only take a minute, so just sit there-and no peeking!"

Sherlock closed the door and went around to the boot, getting out a large blanket and the lunchboxes. He found a nice spot under a tree and laid the blanket out before setting the lunchboxes down. Then he hurried back to the car and opened up Sally's door.

"Careful now," he said as he helped her out of the car. "Keep them closed. Wait until we're closer."

He closed the door and locked the car before carefully guiding his fiancée onto the grass and to where he had laid the blanket out.

"Okay love, you can open them up now," he said softly, with a big smile on his face.

She slowly removed her hands from her eyes and then opened them. A grin spread across her face when she looked at Sherlock.

"It's amazing!" She said with a bounce.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. She eventually pulled away from his lips and grinned.

"I love you," she said with a smile.

She moved to sit down on the tartan blanket with a goofy grin.

Sherlock's smile broke into a big grin when he saw Sally do a bounce of joy. He hugged her back and returned the kiss.

"And I love you," he said back to her before moving to sit down next to her on the blanket.

Sherlock pulled their two lunchboxes towards them and opened them up, taking out sandwiches and crisps. Finally he took out one tall bottle of wine that would be shared between the two of them.

"Hope you like my sandwiches," said Sherlock as he took one that Sally would like and handed it to her.

She took one of the sandwiches and bit into it. She hummed when she tasted the delicious coronation chicken. She smiled before looking at him.

"This is delicious," she smiled at him.

She took another bite and sighed happily. She took out a wine glass and poured herself one. She was only allowed one glass, mainly because she didn't want to harm their baby.

"Glad you like it," he said. "I brought some bottles of water if you're still thirsty after the wine," he said when she gave herself a glass of wine.

Sherlock took a ham sandwich and took a bite, chewing and swallowing before pouring some wine for himself. He drank some of his wine and started conversation.

"Are you looking forward more to the wedding or our honeymoon?" he asked curiously.

"Depends on if I'm allowed some wine," she joked. She sipped her wine again and smiled. "But I think I'm looking forwards to spending a week in Menorca with you," she smiled before kissing him softly.

"As am I, Sally," he said before picking up his own glass of wine. "Here, let's make a toast to our wedding that's coming up in just a couple days," Sherlock said holding up his glass to touch it with Sally's.

When they touched glasses, Sherlock took a good drink of his wine and set it back down before taking another bite of his sandwich.

Sally smiled. "To us!" She smiled and took a sip of her wine and finished it before returning to her sandwich which was almost like heaven in her mouth. "So, are you looking forwards to your stag?" She asked.

She wondered if John was going to hire a stripper for Sherlock.

"Yes, though I have a feeling John plans to get me very drunk," Sherlock said with a wry chuckle. "He hasn't told me much about what he has planned for me. He says it will involve lots of alcohol, which will probably put me off of it for a week or so." He shook his head in amusement, thinking of his friend. "It should be fun, at least."

She kissed his chin. "If there's a stripper, can you give her some money for me?" She laughed. "And let her give you a lap dance, I won't be able to, I'll be getting pampered and getting all pretty for our big day!" She grinned before taking some of the water to drink.

"Hmm, all right, don't get too jealous because I'll be pretending she's you," Sherlock said with a small chuckle. "Though you can give me one if you'd like, on the honeymoon," he compromised giving her a kiss. "I will tell you this. You are not to spend a single penny on our honeymoon, okay? It's all on me."

Sally smiled at him. "Well, I'll give you a good lap dance for our honeymoon," she winked at him.

Sherlock smiled and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. He set down his empty glass and looked up at the sky, which was moderately cloudy but good picnic weather.

"I picked a good day for this," he said with a smile.

She smiled as he kissed her cheek. "You really did!"

She looked at him and kissed his perfectly formed lips, they were like a Greek god's.

"What gender do you think our baby will be?" She asked him with a gentle smile on her lips.

He chuckled and scooted closer so she could lean against him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't you think it's a bit early to speculate that sort of thing?" he asked with an amused smile.

"No, but I think we should start coming up with names," she smiled at him before kissing his temple softly.

She quickly rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hmm, did you have any ideas?" Sherlock asked, wanting to know what kind of names his fiancée had in mind.

"If they're female, I was thinking Amelia-Grace Holmes-Sparrow. And if it's a boy then I was thinking Levi Scott Holmes-Sparrow," she gave him a smile before kissing his now smooth as a baby's butt cheek.

"Good names," Sherlock said with an approving nod. "I like them." He turned his head as she kissed his cheek and stole a kiss from her lips.

He smirked slightly and said, "I love you so much, Sally,"

She smiled with a slight blush.

"And I love you, Sherlock," she pressed her lips against his again with a soft smile. "I really do love you, even though I thought that this would just be a Christmas romance, not a long term relationship,"

"Heh," he smiled wryly at that. "Just a Christmas romance huh? Well, I hope you're glad it didn't just stop there," Sherlock said softly, looking at her with loving eyes.

"Well, of course I'm glad that this didn't end as a simple romance, I'm glad that I'm marrying you," she murmured.

She gave him a sly grin before pushing him onto his back as she pressed her lips firmly against his.

He cupped the side of her face as he kissed her back, making the kiss deep but gentle. Sherlock smiled against Sally's lips and drew back slightly to touch foreheads with her.

"And I'm glad I'm marrying you," he said.

"I love you more than anything. You're the moon of my life," she purred.

She smiled softly before kissing him once more. She closed her eyes as she kissed him, her hands resting against his chest.

Two days passed in a blur; there was lots of cuddling and kissing with some sex but not much. Sally just wasn't as into it as she used to be, not now that they had a baby on the way.

Sherlock arrived at the stag party, which was a fair sized pub John had rented out for him. He walked inside and was instantly greeted by loud whoops and cheers. He smiled as several of his closest mates, including John came up to give him pats on the back and high fives. Sherlock chuckled lightly and shared a brief moment with John, saying thank you. Soon enough he was dragged to the bar, and a large mug was shoved into his hand. Then the party really began.

Sally was still at home with her two bridesmaids, Kathy and Mary, John's wife. There was three other women there who were doing massages for them. Once the massages were done they had facials and had manicures and pedicures. She enjoyed having the hand and foot massage, it was nice to be pampered every once in a while. And seeing as Sherlock was out she was able to relax without having to worry too much about what was going to happen to Sherlock.

It was late in the night by the time they started a game of beer pong. It was rather fun, and Sherlock was trying not to lose himself into the alcohol. Even John was trying to monitor the amount he drank, but Sherlock ended up drinking a little more than he should have. He was definitely going to have a very bad headache in the morning. Sherlock felt his stomach grumbling and knew his body wanted to get rid of the alcohol. He excused himself to go put the contents of his stomach in the toilet before coming back. Thankfully, when Sherlock decided to stop drinking, so did John for the sake of moral support.

Sally didn't drink for her nice night in; all she drank was some sparkling water with a pomegranate and hibiscus flavouring. It was a very delicious alcohol free drink. She was in a good mood as she had her nails done into a French manicure with little white flowers painted onto it. She had small diamante studs placed in the centre of each flower.

At about 2:13 in the morning, John decided it would be a good idea for Sherlock to go back home. Sherlock agreed, already feeling very exhausted. Instead of driving back, John got a cab for them and Sherlock got a ride to the motel he was going to stay in that night. As he went into his room, Sherlock wished Sally could be with him, but he knew it was tradition that the bride and groom not see each other until they met at the altar. He contemplated giving his fiancee a call, but wasn't sure if she was asleep or not. He did hope she was asleep by now, anyway. Sherlock shook his head, deciding not to and just to wait until he saw her walking down the aisle tomorrow. He smiled, excited at the thought. He knew Sally was going to look very beautiful in her wedding dress. He looked forward to it. Sherlock went to use the loo before getting out his suit and hanging it up on a rack attached to the closet door. Finally, it was time for him to sleep. He changed before going right into bed, exhaustion pulling him into sleep.

The next morning, Sherlock smiled as soon as he awoke. He knew what today was, and he was very thrilled. He got out of bed and took a shower. He put gel in his hair to make it look extra neat before getting into his wedding suit. Then Sherlock gave John a call, seeing if he was awake and ready to go. Sherlock checked himself out of the motel and took a cab to where the wedding ceremony would take place.

At around 7am Sally was brought out of her sleep by a gaggle of giggling women. They pulled her out of bed so that they could do her hair and makeup. Soon enough Sally's layers were pulled back into a small bun with the bottom of her hair tumbling over her shoulders in long curls. Sally soon went back into the bedroom to get changed into a deep carmine corset, bra and panties set with nude stockings with a black lace top. Once her underwear was on they pulled on her curve hugging dress. Minutes later her shoes were on, her bouquet was in her hands and she was getting into the white Rolls Royce that they had hired for their wedding. Then she was zooming towards the church.


End file.
